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US Capitol Ramming Incident: What Is Known So Far

Police said a car rammed into two Capitol Police officers near a traffic barrier – an incident that prompted officials to place the area around the federal legislative seat into lockdown.
Sputnik

Here what is so far known about the vehicle ramming just outside the US Capitol building.

  • The suspect involved in the incident has died, according to an NBC reporter. After hitting the barricade, the driver exited the vehicle carrying a knife, stabbed one of the officers and was shot by police, a law enforcement official briefed on the matter said.
  • Capitol Police earlier tweeted that the vehicle driver was in custody, while both officers are injured, and all three have been taken to hospital.
  • The incident occurred at a barricaded access to the complex from the side of Constitution Avenue, close to where the Senate sits, police said.
  • At least one shot was heard outside the Capitol, prompting the D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department to instantly respond, according to the agency’s spokesman.
  • At about 1:10 p.m. Capitol staff were instructed by Capitol Police not to leave the legislature’s premises and stay away from external windows due to an “external security threat.”
  • US Capitol Police are preparing to brief the media on the matter.
  • The large black fence and enhanced security that that was instated around the Capitol complex in the wake of the 6 January siege had started to come down in recent days. The security perimeter shrunk, although the fencing is still there at the intersection on the north side of Capitol Hill, where the latest incident took place this afternoon.
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